Of Banging Heads and Painted Toenails
by willowbabe
Summary: A short little piece looking at Ron and Ginny's relationship the summer before 5th year.


Disclaimer: Do I really have to explain this to you people? .... *Waits and gets no response* ...Good. Then I won't. *Suddenly realises that you won't get a response because I'm talking to myself* ...... Oh well.... I still won't because I can't be bothered... Laziness is awesome...

A/N: Just a little ficlet I wrote ages ago before the fifth book came out. I have of course altered it to include details mentioned in Canon but nothing monumental. Just a little piece about siblings, in particular Ron and Ginny in the summer between Ron's 4th and 5th year. 

I have an idea of something I want to write, similar to this, set after fifth year, but I don't want to write if it's not gonna go down well, especially as I've had requests to finish another story of mine (I feel so wanted for a change). 

And just in case any people who read this and know me are confused, Phil and I aren't like this at all. It's just how I'd like my older brother to treat me (If I had one that is).... 

Oh and another thing, I know one of my friends is going out with this guy who's family is exactly like the Weasleys sans the red hair. This guy is Charlie in the order of kids, and I feel so sorry for his sister (the youngest and extremely babied). I've based a lot of this around their relationship.

Dedicated to Jorgie and of course Merlin and my good friend Laura (hope your ankle's okay babes)

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Of Banging Heads and Painted Toenails

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A fanfiction by Pudadingding

Using characters and situations from the 

Harry Potter books by J.K Rowling

Ginny Weasley was sitting in her small blue bedroom, decorated with clouds and pictures of all her friends and family, contemplating. Should she, or shouldn't she? On the one hand, there was the possibility of embarrassment and torture; on the other, her toes would look nice. Being the sensible teenage girl she was, she decided on the latter.

"RON!!!!!!!" she bellowed, causing her mother, who was two floors down, to drop the washing she had been carrying out of shock.

"WHAT?" he replied at much the same volume, from his room two flights above her.

"CAN YOU COME HERE PLEASE?"

He sighed, and made his way down to his younger, favourite and only sister's room, in the hopes that whatever it was she wanted wouldn't take too long, so that he could return to his room to wallow in self-pity. He reached her door, opened it, and looked at her expectantly.

She grinned at him sweetly in return.

"Can you paint my toe nails please?" Ron turned, faced the doorframe… and began hitting his head against it. 

BANG… BANG… BANG… BANG… 

After a few minutes of staring at her brother and his futile attempts at self-harm, Ginny got up and guided him away from the door, setting him on her bed, and gathering her nail paints. Sometimes she really loved being the youngest sibling, and only girl. Her brothers were all so predictable. 

"Oh, please Ron?" she asked as she handed him the base coat, knowing full well that he was going to paint her toes for her. "You do it so well, and all my friends ask about them at school."

"And I should care… why exactly?" he replied, waiting for her to put the toe separators in, before starting from her little toe inwards covering the nails in a protective layer of base coat.

"Because." She replied. And that was the end of that conversation. A silence rolled between and was deafening to Ginny. It reminded her of things involving chambers and diaries and many other reasons why she always hung around in a large group of strange and eccentric friends who didn't know the meaning of the word quiet. 

She managed to distract herself with thoughts of her friends for a few moments but was soon forced back into depressing thoughts as she remembered their journey back home at the end of term, Cedric's death still heavy on their minds. The quiet and softness of their voices had disturbed her and she remembered mentally cursing Tom Riddle several times in those hours.

"Ronnie? What's gonna happen now that Tom's back?" Ginny asked in a childish voice that betrayed her worries. 

Ron however, just looked at her confused. "Tom? Who's Tom?" 

Ginny sighed, not believing the stupidity of her brother at times. "Tom Riddle. Lord Voldemort. Aka the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, He Who Just Not Be Named." Ginny paused and then laughed. "Jeez, for someone who 'mustn't be named' he sure does have a lot of names."

Ron however failed to see the humour. "How come you call him Tom? Doesn't that bring back painful memories?" He asked, looking at his sister in a new light. Not only did she refer to the dark lord as Tom and in such a casual manner but she'd also said his alter ego's name 'Voldemort'. He was struggling to do that and he was best friends with Harry Potter, the Dark Lord's arch enemy. 

"I have to. I've never met him as Voldemort. He's only Tom to me, and even if Tom did turn out to be evil, he was still my friend at the beginning. Anyway, I'm stronger because of that experience and I can't forget it. I just need to learn from it."

"When did you grow up?" Ron asked, amazed at his baby sister's strength. "And why has it happened so fast?"

"I had to grow up, Ronnie. But you still haven't answered my question. What do you think is gonna happen?"

"I don't know." He answered truthfully, his tone conveying his worry. "I suppose there'll be a war and stuff, and Harry will have to fight him. We'll help of course, but it's gonna be Harry in the end. A bit harsh I suppose, but at least he's got us and Sirius to rely on. Sirius is really nice by the way. I suppose that Order thingy Mum was talking about will help as well, but it's still going to be Harry and You-Know-Who in the final duel."

Ginny sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that. It all sounds so morbid."

"I think morbid is the way it's going to be, GinGin." And they lapsed into quiet again. 

After a few minutes of worried silence between the two siblings, Ginny had had enough and began yet another conversation, although hopefully more cheerful this time. 

"So, how's your paintings coming?"

"Fine, how your crush on Harry coming?" stated Ron in a monotone voice, that clearly meant that he didn't want to talk about. However Ginny did want to talk about it, and to be perfectly honest, Ginny Weasley was a bit of a spoilt brat at times.

"Oh I got over that ages ago. There's been that thing for Lupin and a short interlude with Terry Bones since then. Then there's Michael." She replied in a casual voice. "What about that portrait of Hermione? Have you told her about it yet?"

"… " Ron mumbled something indistinguishable, and his ears began turning red.

"What was that?"

"She doesn't know I like art." Ron bent his head to look at the toes better, as he added the final touches to the toenails.

"What?! Why not? Hasn't she seen your paintings or something?" Ginny asked in outrage. Her brother was a brilliant artist, the best she'd ever seen, and for one of his best friends not to know of his talent, why it was just wrong!

"No-one at school has. It's just something I haven't bothered to tell anyone."

"But why?" Ginny asked, more gently this time. She understood better than anyone Ron's need to stand out from his family. She had felt the same urge several times herself. Ron's artwork was something that made him stand out, yet none of his friends knew of his talent? It just didn't seem to make sense.

"Because my art is special. Sometimes I feel as if I'm adding a bit of myself into each painting. And if they don't like my work, well then that would mean they don't like me. And I don't feel like finding that out."

"Oh, Ron!" Ginny sighed, "Oh come here." She pushed the bottles of nail paint out of the way and flung her arms around her big brother, surprising him, and making him wobble. Hugging him tight, she said "You're so much more intense than any of us realise. Your works are great, and I'm not saying that because you're my brother. You really have talent, Ron. Don't hide it."

"Yeah well," he replied, squirming "Maybe I might show then a few. Hey, your nails are all done." And so they were. Ron had painted her toes a pale blue, with a silver tip, and on her fingernails was a palm tree design with a pale blue background. Ginny hadn't even noticed that he had painted her fingernails as well. She smiled broadly at her brother to show her appreciation.

"Ron! Ginny! Start packing." Mrs. Weasley yelled from downstairs. "We've got to be there in a few minutes."

Thankful for the distraction, Ron got up to leave, but Ginny pulled him back. 

"We're going now? But I thought we weren't gonna leave for at least another week!"

"Plans changed." He replied, watching as his sister's face turned from shock to despair.

"Oh no! I haven't packed yet, and I'll need to put on some different clothes. I can't travel through the Floo like this. I must make a good impression on Sirius Black, especially if he's as nice as you said he is, and Professor Lupin too, I haven't seen him since he left, and do you suppose that Kingsley Shackleboat will be there? He was quite nice. Now which should I wear, the blue robes or the white? Can't be the white on second thought. It'll get absolutely filthy…" She ranted as she stormed around her room, picking up stray magazines and pieces of parchment, looking quite like her mum.

"Girls!" Ron rolled as he headed upstairs to gather his belongings before the journey to 12 Grimmuld Place.

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Tada! Betas still required if you'd like to apply, and I'm gonna try a bit of reverse psychology and say that I don't want reviews.... oh but that won't work as I need to know whether to continue onto the next chapter.


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